‘Stranger Things’ Writers Confirm That a Beloved Character Isn’t Dead

Not everybody made it out of Stranger Things 2 alive. The Upside Down, and the Demogorgon-like Demodogs ate some folk, but the writers behind Netflix’s hit show have confirmed that one character did not meet a grisly end, even though their ultimate fate was never shown on screen.

I’m speaking of course, of Dustin’s box turtle, Yertle.

This post contains spoilers for Stranger Things* Season 2.

In Episode 3, Dustin discovered a gross booger-pollywog, which he names Dart. Even though the thing is disgusting and clearly from the Upside Down, the kid falls in love with it, and opts to protect it at the expense of his friends. To keep Dart safe and hidden, he evicts Yertle from his tank, placing the reptile on the floor and plopping Dart under the heat lamp, which he quickly turns off.

It’s the last we see of Yertle, which is troubling, as Dart later escapes his containment and murders the Hendersons’ other pet, a delightful kitty named Mews. (I demand justice for Mews!)

Given that Dustin already caused the death of one of his pets, fans were right to worry that he also had cold blood on his hands, as Yertle could’ve been an easy snack for Dart. Or, like, maybe he just crawled into a closet, got lost, and starved to death, because Dustin clearly doesn’t care for him. Dustin is a bad pet owner, y’all!

Luckily, didn’t happen, as the writers confirmed on their official Twitter account.

“Yurtle the Turtle is safe. He’s here with me. We’re scrolling through Twitter together. He’s trolling cyber-bullies. It’s a great time,” the said.

Chances are the second part of that statement is non-canon, but at least the writers say he’s not in turtle heaven.

Bob, though? No such luck.

Stranger Things 2 is currently streaming in its entirety on Netflix.